Heath Miller’s “Bid for Hope” event
Heath and his wife Katie hosted the event last night at Bossa Nova (see Oct. 12th news below). It was sponsored through A Glimmer of Hope and proceeds benefited the Under Forty Breast Cancer Study.
Some of their guests included teammates Brett Keisel, Hines Ward, James Farrior, Keyaron Fox, Matt Spaeth, Jeff Reed, Max Starks and Ben!
From Steelers.com today:
“Anything we can do for this cause, to raise awareness and money, we will do,” said Ben Roethlisberger. “It affects so many lives and we want to help. I am all for it. I wear the pink shoes in practice and the game. This month is a great time for us to show our support and raise money for a sad disease.”
Check out Steelers.com for photos from the event.
Check back here later in the week for photos from the event organizer.
If you’d like to see photos from past “Bid for Hope” events, click here.
*Thank you to artist Larry Klukaszewski (posing with Heath and one of his football creations) for sharing his photo from last night with us! You can see Larry’s incredible football art on his website here and here.
Monday: Notes & Quotes
“Training camp was great. The preseason was great. I still didn’t know what to expect, but it was truly awesome to hear the fans. I love being back out in front of those guys again.” — Ben, talking about the fan response at Heinz Field yesterday.
Notes –
NFL.com’s Scott Engel, from his Fantasy Football column:
Stainless Steeler: Ben Roethlisberger actually did look a tad rusty early in his 2010 debut, yet the Browns simply didn’t have the personnel to hold him down for long, and he finished with 257 passing yards, three TDs and one interception.
Roethlisberger immediately vaults back into fantasy relevance as a Top 10 passer. Once he started rolling, Roethlisberger was clearly mechanically sound and in sync with his pass-catchers. Don’t discount the impact of the performance by pointing out Roethlisberger was only facing the Browns. Good players beat the teams they are supposed to beat, which is exactly what Roethlisberger did.
You can read Mr. Engel’s column here.
SI.com’s Peter King, from his Monday Morning QB column:
He’s not crazy about the “Big Ben” handle anymore. He got emotional pulling into the stadium parking lot Sunday morning, and even more emotional during the Star Spangled Banner when he looked up into the private box his father and stepmother were in, thinking of all the stuff he’d put them through in the past year or so. “That’s when I got a little teary,” Ben Roethlisberger told me last night. “I know it’s been rough for them, and they’ve been there for me.”
When he stepped into the huddle for the first time, Roethlisberger said nothing memorable but will remember the looks he saw around him. “Smily,” he said. “Excited. I could tell. Nobody had to say anything.”
You can read Mr. King’s column here.
The New York Daily News’ James Parziale, from his Monday Morning Huddle column:
Does that crow come with a side of fries?
Ben Roethlisberger made his big debut against the Browns on Sunday and made me look silly in the process. After watching one of the pregame shows and seeing the workout regimen Big Ben went through to be in game shape, well, let’s just say I might have been singing a different tune about my wait-and-see approach.
You […]
Steelers 28, Browns 10
“I don’t think that it really hit me until I was pulling up to the stadium. Being on the field before the game got a little emotional. I felt like it was a pretty good day, I felt like I left a lot of plays out there a few plays here and there, obviously the interception I just got a little antsy Mewelde Moore was open I wanted to get him the ball right away when I needed to just settle down and get it to him. That being said we won the game and did pretty well on offense.” — Ben, during his post-game press conference.
Post-Game Media Notes:
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Bob Smizik:
On a near-perfect fall afternoon, Ben Roethlisberger returned to the Steelers and the National Football League with a performance that almost was as splendid as the day.
Starting with a rousing ovation from the forgiving season-ticket holders and interrupted only by an early interception, Roethlisberger was pretty much the elite quarterback he has become. There was scant evidence that he had missed the first four games and hadn’t played since the exhibition season.
You can read the rest of Mr. Smizik’s blog here.
From the AP:
Ben Roethlisberger, cheered loudly during his first game in 91/2 months, shook off the rust from his four-game suspension to throw three touchdown passes, and the Pittsburgh Steelers shut down a depleted Cleveland Browns offense during a 28-10 victory Sunday.
With the Steelers (4-1) leading 7-3 but backed up to their own 4 late into the third quarter, Roethlisberger — flashing the big-play ability his team lacked without him — completed passes of 50 yards to Mike Wallace and 36 yards to Heath Miller on successive plays.
Three plays later, Hines Ward fought through two potential tacklers on an 8-yard touchdown catch that made it 14-3 and gave the Steelers’ defense all the points needed on a mostly dominating day. The Browns fell to 1-5.
You can read the rest here.
From the Cleveland Plain […]
Ben: “Second chances are an awesome thing and that’s all I’ve asked for”
From an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer this afternoon, by Mary Kay Cabot:
Ben Roethlisberger absolutely owned the Browns with a 10-0 record against them until they crushed the Steelers QB with eight sacks in a 13-6 victory in Cleveland last December.
Can the Browns even come close to that performance Sunday in Pittsburgh?
“We’d like to duplicate that if we could,” said defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. “That’s tough. We’re lucky to tackle a guy eight times. I know he hasn’t been playing this year but it’s unfortunate he had to come back our week. It’s great the young man paid his dues and came back to his team. I’m sure they’re excited about that and we’re looking forward to getting after a good football team and a great player.
“The guy’s phenomenal, the guy’s a winner and he came in the league winning and he keeps winning. I know we’re going to get their best shot but I know and I really believe they’re going to get our best shot too.”
Roethlisberger said he’s not sure how emotional the game will be for him, but that he hopes he’s warmly received.
“It means a lot,” he said. “Second chances are an awesome thing and that’s all I’ve asked for. I want to be a Steeler for life. I love playing for this city and these fans. It’s something that’s very important to me. I know a lot of people say ‘I don’t really care about the fans and what people say about me.’ Well, I do. I want people to accept me and to embrace me as their quarterback and as a Steeler.”
You can read Ms. Cabot’s full article here.
Final Reminder…
Ben’s interview with Bill Cowher will be seen on Sunday during NFL Today on CBS which starts at 12:00 p.m.
His interview with Merril Hoge will also be seen on Sunday during NFL Countdown on ESPN which starts at 11:00 a.m.
No cape for Ben
“I’m not going out there trying to be Superman. I’m just going to go out and try to play my game. If we put up 20 yards and win 3-0, a win is a win.” — Ben, as quoted from the article below.
From Sam Farmer of the L.A. Times in an article entitled, “Ben Roethlisberger tries to turn back time”:
It took only one play for the Pittsburgh Steelers to realize Ben Roethlisberger hadn’t changed a bit.
“He threw me a long bomb right on the money,” receiver Mike Wallace said about the first play of Roethlisberger’s return to practice last week. “I guess it was kind of like a statement, letting them know, ‘I’m here.’ ”
But to hear Roethlisberger tell it, the old Big Ben is long gone.
“I’m going back to the person I was raised to be, the person I was before all this,” the quarterback said Wednesday. “It’s not like I’m going back to being Big Ben and having all these issues.”
Among the most vocal and visible Roethlisberger critics has been Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who won four Super Bowls with the Steelers.
Roethlisberger said he made an effort to extend an olive branch to Bradshaw within the past two months, leaving an un-returned voicemail.
“I’ve always said how awesome he is,” Roethlisberger said of Bradshaw, who could not be reached for comment. “He has everything I want: Super Bowls, Hall of Fame, maybe the greatest to play quarterback — definitely as a Steeler. All the things that he’s said, I’m not really sure where they came from, but no hard feelings on my side.”
You can read the entire article here.
From Jason Whitlock of FOX Sports in his column entitled, “Look for a new man in Big Ben return”:
With Roethlisberger in the lineup, the 2010 Steelers are potentially as good as any team we’ve seen in the free-agent, salary-cap era. I don’t see a flaw. Their defense is dominant. Their offense can run the ball. They have solid special teams. Mike Tomlin is a young Bill Cowher. Their lone weakness was the passing game and pass protection. Big Ben cures both of those problems.
A lack of locker-room chemistry was the last hope for Pittsburgh opponents. But it sounds like all of the Steelers understand […]
“I’m anxious, excited, a lot of emotions”
From ESPN’s James Walker from his AFC North Blog this afternoon:
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says he has a mix of emotions heading into Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
“I’m excited. But I’m not to the peak of my excitement yet, that will probably come later,” Roethlisberger said before Wednesday’s practice. “I’m anxious, excited, a lot of emotions. But, like I said, a lot of it is under wraps right now because we’re focusing on practice.”
The Steelers (3-1) are off to a fast start even without their No. 1 quarterback.
It is now Roethlisberger’s job to keep Pittsburgh’s momentum going. The Steelers need his arm because they are last in the NFL in passing, but they have to be wary not to sway too far in that direction.
“I think we will be very balanced, and we’re going to take what they give us,” Roethlisberger said of the Browns. “If they’re loading up the box, we will try to throw it. If they’re sitting back, we will run the ball.”
You can read the rest of Mr. Walker’s blog here.
From an interview with Ben about Sunday’s game against the Browns at Steelers.com:
“They’re a lot better team than people assume and give them credit for,” said Roethlisberger of the 1-4 Browns. “They do a lot of different things on defense, a lot of different looks and blitzes and schemes that kind of keep you on your heels.”
You can read the entire interview here.
You can watch video of interviews with Ben and his teammates today here.
Heads-up for Sunday!
Ben sat down this week at his parents home with Bill Cowher for an interview which will be seen on Sunday during NFL Today on CBS which starts at 12:00 p.m.
And don’t forget, the rest of his interview with Merril Hoge will also be seen on Sunday during NFL Countdown on ESPN which starts at 11:00 a.m.
*Thank you to Becky!
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